Weld County commissioners asked to reconsider Plan B ban

JOSHUA POLSON/jpolson@greeleytribune.com
Priscilla Resendiz speaks to the Weld County Commissioners during a meeting Wednesday morning at the at the Weld County Administration Building at 1150 O St., in Greeley. Resendiz asked the commissioners to reconsider their ban on Plan B contraception in county health clinics.

JOSHUA POLSON/jpolson@greeleytribune.com
The Rev. Sylvia Falconer speaks to the Weld County Commissioners during a meeting Wednesday morning at the Weld County Administration building. Falconer was among the several community members that urged the Weld County Commissioners to reconsider their ban on Plan B contraception.

JOSHUA POLSON/jpolson@greeleytribune.com
Loretta Scott addresses her concerns with the Plan B contraceptive ban with Weld County Commission Chairman Bill Garcia Wednesday morning during a meeting at the Weld County Administration Building in Greeley. Weld County Commissioners said the time to discuss the issue is when the county’s family planning grant comes before them for consideration again.

JOSHUA POLSON/jpolson@greeleytribune.com
A crowd gathers as the Weld County commissioners begin a meeting last year at the Weld County Administration Building at 1150 O St. in Greeley. Weld County, like a lot of governments around the country, faces an unfunded pension liability.

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Dozens of Weld County residents presented commissioners with a letter Wednesday morning, asking them to reconsider the decision they made more than two years ago to ban emergency contraceptives like Plan B in county clinics.

Organizers for the group of residents who presented the letter said they had nearly 200 signatures, and more than 50 people showed up at the Board of Weld County Commissioners meeting at 9 a.m. to urge commissioners to hear public comment.

“We don’t believe that the public had an opportunity to engage in their decision regarding Plan B,” Priscilla Resendiz, a Greeley resident and one of the group’s organizers, said.

Commissioners said the time to discuss the issue is when the county’s family planning grant comes before them for consideration again. Commissioner Barbara Kirkmeyer said the commissioners will notify the group of the date on which they’ll be considering their federal Title X Family Planning grant, possibly in April or May.

“They will have the opportunity to come and can comment at that time,” Kirkmeyer said.

In July 2010, commissioners decided to stop allowing emergency contraception such as Plan B — also known as the morning-after pill — in county health clinics. Commissioners argued that the pill induces an abortion and that state and federal statutes do not allow funding for abortions.

Commission chairman Bill Garcia said there were three public forums in 2010 when people had the opportunity to comment on Plan B. He said for him the decision to ban Plan B at county clinics was mostly financial, and with a tight budget he was considering whether the county should be paying for something that is available elsewhere. He added that he does think commissioners are worried that Plan B could derail Title X funding.

“I think there is a concern that this is an abortive agent,” Garcia said.

Several residents addressed commissioners during a general public comment period. Doug Meyer, of Greeley, was the sole person to address the board in support of the ban on Plan B.

“If you can’t follow plan A, you can’t follow plan B, then go to plan C, and take responsibility for what you’ve created,” Meyer said.

About a dozen people addressed the board to ask them to reconsider their position on the pill. Meg Spencer, of Greeley, said Plan B wouldn’t jeopardize Title X funding because it’s essentially just a strong dose of birth control. The Rev. Sylvia Falconer said the board needs to consider the repercussions on women and the community.

“This concerns me because this means that our welfare will need to be larger, this means our taxes will need to be larger, and I think most of us feel like we pay enough taxes,” she said.

Pat Bruner, an organizer of the group of residents, said they plan to present financial information on the emergency contraceptive. Resendiz said the group also wants to present scientific evidence showing that emergency contraceptives do not cause abortions.

“We want to make sure that when we get an opportunity to review it again we can come from all angles,” Resendiz said.

We don’t believe that the public had an opportunity to engage in their decision regarding Plan B. — Priscilla Resendiz, resident of Greeley